From the Reporters
Ryan McCarthy

The Death of Traditional Advertising?

 

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story today about how some of the nation's largest companies are increasingly shifting ad dollars away from traditional media outlets like TV and print. The story explains how companies like Proctor & Gamble, Verizon, Ford and even Walt Disney are putting more of their ad budgets into things like online video ads, search advertising and social networking. Overall, according to a report by TNS Media Intelligence, spending on traditional advertising by the 50 biggest ad spenders dropped by 1.5 percent in 2006, while U.S. ad spending grew 4.1 percent overall.

If the country's corporate behemoths are moving away from the tried and true ad models, what does this mean for today's entrepreneurs? Are consumers tuning out today's print, radio and TV ads? Or have new advertising channels on the internet proven to be better investments for young companies?